Penny Christian, chair of the Kentucky United We Learn Council, speaks during a council discussion on the latest feedback members received on the latest assessment and accountability prototype. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, Oct. 21, 2024
(FRANKFORT, KY) – Members of the Kentucky United We Learn Council continued to narrow down what new assessment and accountability systems might look like during the group’s fall convening on Oct. 21-22.
The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the Kentucky United We Learn Council have been working on prototypes for reimagined assessment and accountability systems that will prioritize innovation, personalization, local community and student voice, and the incorporation of vibrant learning experiences. Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said one of his top priorities is the development of new assessment and accountability systems of which the Commonwealth can be proud.
“The beauty of this is that we are continuing to work to build a prosperous Kentucky and creating an accountability system that is useful and meaningful to all learners,” said Fletcher. “As we go through this convening, that is the lens and that is our work. This is what the council has been pushing for as a group.”
Fletcher discussed the idea of replacing the change component in the current accountability system, which compares this year’s indicator status scores to last year’s status scores for each school, with the idea of focusing on the growth in learning for each student.
“If you look at our data, the people that we’re talking to, the people that are giving us back information is strongly in favor of moving from change back to student growth,” he said.
Fletcher said the council’s work has been focused on creating an accountability system that reflects the diverse needs of Kentucky’s students and reflects the communities in which they live.
“How do we lift each other up and then, most importantly, how do we build a prosperous Kentucky?” Fletcher said. “The only way that will happen is if we collaborate with our communities.”
KDE and the council began a study phase of the most recent assessment and accountability prototype in August. So far, the study phase has sought input from all districts through Kentucky’s education cooperatives, conducting focus groups with 36 school districts and distributing a survey to the public.
Leslie McKinney and Abigal Jacob, strategic data analysts in KDE’s Office of the Commissioner, said 647 people from across Kentucky responded to the survey, including educators and paraprofessionals, school administrators, business and industry representatives, community members and superintendents.
“We certainly wanted to capture their thinking and feeling, particularly as it came to those qualitative data points,” McKinney said.
McKinney said 75% of respondents favor adopting a local accountability system for Kentucky schools that considers multiple factors, including broader school improvement efforts such as opportunities for vibrant learning experiences, parental engagement, community partnerships and non-academic factors affecting the school experience.
She also emphasized that there were nearly 2,000 comments within the open-ended responses, with most of the comments directly correlated to the survey questions.
“Funding was a great concern we saw in the comments, and this funding went from everything from we need more funding for staff, some training and the need for high-quality instructional resources, in addition to funding being more equitable so that everybody had access to the same resources,” McKinney said.
Within the data, McKinney said some additional key findings support the removal of social studies and writing from the accountability model and reporting them at the local level.
Council members did stress that they value all content areas and would want to make sure that social studies and writing continue to be a focus of schools even if it is removed as an accountability measure.
McKinney said some respondents felt there were challenges with the idea of how schools or districts would demonstrate vibrant learning experiences for their students and the need for consistent criteria and/or rubrics. Some respondents also raised equity concerns, mentioning the disparity of resources between districts that may affect their ability to ensure all students benefit from vibrant learning experiences.
Jessica Jenkins, a former educator representing families on the Kentucky United We Learn Council, shares her thoughts on the council’s progress towards a new assessment and accountability framework. Photo by Joe Ragusa, Kentucky Department of Education, Oct. 21, 2024
Jacob shared there was agreement from respondents to shifting toward a growth model where the focus would be on the school and student progress.
A total of 77% of respondents were in favor of removing the current color-rated accountability system that ranks schools and districts from red at the lowest to blue at the highest. Jacob said that this was one of the common themes among respondents, many of whom shared the belief that the color system can misrepresent school quality and damage morale.
Jennifer Stafford, division director in KDE’s Office of Assessment and Accountability, said there would be a significant transition period if the assessment and accountability systems are changed to focus more on student experiences and demonstrations of learning.
“We can’t just turn it on and off like a switch, because we have to develop the capacity within our educators, within our school leaders, within our district leaders and also within our students to be able to develop competency-based and authentic demonstrations,” Stafford said.
Jim Flynn, vice chair of the council and executive director of the Kentucky Association of School Superintendents, spoke about the work of the council and how this prototype would allow for the federal requirements to be met, but also provide flexibility at a local level.
“A federal minimum that is stable and reliable, we know we can count on that part,” Flynn said, “but then at a local community-based piece, that’s where it is more agile and nimble and responds to the local contextual needs of our students and communities.”
KDE staff and its partners will review the feedback received during the fall convening and will present a new framework to Kentucky United We Learn Council members to consider during a virtual meeting in November.
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